Langobardi - faction preview AoD2
Langobardi
Lombards
HISTORY
The Lombards were a eastern german population ,protagonist between the 2nd and 6th century of a long migration that carried them from the low Elba until Italy.The migrant movement had
begin in the 2nd century but only in the 4th the whole people left the low elba.
During the movement,the Lombards landed first to the middle course of the Danube, then in Pannonia (5th century), where consolidated the political and social structure,converted themselves to the Aryan christianity.Entered at contact with the Roman world and the politics of the mediterranean area, in 568,driven from Alboino, installed themselves in Italy, where they gave life to an independent kingdom that extended progressively their own dominion on almost all the continental part of the Peninsula.Lombard dominion was articulated in numerous dukedoms, that enjoyed of a pronounced autonomy with respect to the central power of the sovereigns installed to Pavia;in the course of the centuries, large figures of sovereigns like Autari, Agilulfo
(6th century)Rotate, Grimoaldo (7th century)Liutprando, Astolfo and Desire (8th century) extended progressively the authority of the king,achieving progressively a reinforcement of thr kingdom.Lombard Kingdom, that between the VII and the beginning of the 8th century had arrived to represent an European power of relief, stopped to be an autonomous organism in 774, through the defeat inflict by the Franks driven from Charlemagne.
The Longobards Army
The Lombards defined themselves as an "army", they were a war population - the sons of the God Godan (the father of the armies in the German tradition) .
At the age of 12 years, the male received a sword and began to train itself in the art of the war(the longobards childs were strongest than the other childs of other tribes) the longobards leaved to the populations subdued the task of working the fields . The Lombard warrior was called arimanno ,meant "man of the' army" but that for extension indicated any member of the Volk Lombard that means any free man.
The king was the supreme commanderof the army, its personal guard was formed from the gasindi (elite soldier) led from the mahrskalk (General of the cavalry - similar with the term Marschall), as like the German custom, the men more near the king developed the main functions of the court. It was an important position, the scildpor (groom). Under the king were the main General.
In the Longobard Army, who could not allow itself a shield was automatic exonerated (losing therefore the status of Lombard) while alone the wealthiest, and the they continue, could allow themselves an armor and a horse . The historian seem unanimous in the define the Lombard army, also to the relations with the nomadic populations of the steppes during the permanence in Pannonia, like a' composed army almost only from knights.
Also on the base of the funeral equipments that in the greater part of the cases they revealed poor graves (in which appeared alone swords, scramasax and spears) or belonging to middle warriors of class .
Longobards Tactics
Almost nothing is known about tactical employed from the Lombards in war. Of secure they had assimilated what retained of the Byzantine strategies, but had however preserved nearly unbroken the war spirit typical of the German populations that pushed to seek the individual duel, and to overwhelm the hostile lines first with the fear than with the arms, attacking also at night was a typical custom by the ancient Germans.
the tactical campaigns that can retain plausible for the Lombards it was the formation called "head of pigskin" (or "wedge") that saw the general, surrounded by the best warriors and with best arms, and this formation have to open passage in the defence of the enemy. Such formation came used also from the chivalry. The chivalry, perhaps , was usual to line up itself to the sides of the infantry so to protect the o warriors on foot and to be able to charge the enemy to the sides.
Secure defensive formation was the scildburg (Schildburg or Schildmauer in german/ shield-wall in english), the wall of shields with that is used for defence against the chivalry charges or to a compact attack formation . The knights, to second of the necessity, dismantled from horse to attest defend itself.
The longobard had an use of primitive means of siege (means however of simple construction and of effectiveness limited if compared with the imperial equipment)
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Originally Posted by Athenogoras
